Top Tools and Clippers for Taper Fades: A Barber’s Guide
Taper fades are some of the trendiest haircuts equally popular among men and boys for a modern and versatile look. These haircuts are highly customizable, and their techniques differ from traditional haircuts. For this reason, people often seek experienced barbers to achieve unique designs and patterns.
How can hair length be transformed with precision? What are the key factors behind a neat and seamless transformation? These are the critical aspects that barbers need to address. Here, we help aspiring barbers refine their skills with comprehensive insights into this edgy haircut. So, read until the end to outperform in your barbering career.
Barber Essential Kit for Taper Fades
To give a perfect and well-defined tapering fade, you need to use these tools:
Hair Clippers with Adjustable Blades
Hair clippers are used for haircutting or shaving and let you cut hair smoothly at any length. They come with guards to vary hair length. Some clippers even have detachable blades that let you choose based on fade sharpness. So, there is no need for a guard application with such devices.
Trimmers with Guards
Trimmers effectively give your customers a polished look in any haircut. Their fine blades clean extra hair from the neckline, sides, and around the ear. This mini clipper lets you have an outline for any style with perfection. Moreover, you can also use guards to get any hair length.
Tapered Cutting Comb
This is essential for getting a well-blended faded area with the clipper-over-comb method, which allows you to trim hair near the ear and neckline.
Scissors
Scissors are best for cutting long-length hair on the head. This traditional tool requires practice cutting hair based on the client’s preference; you can hold the hair between your fingers and ask the customer about a half-inch, inch, or desired length.
Other Tools
Other tools that are important in barbershops, irrespective of hairstyle, are:
- Shears
- Cutting cape
- Straight razor
- Lather brush
- Lather Receptacles
- Towel warmer
- Neck strips
More about Taper Blades and Their Applications
Taper blades are used to perfectly achieve any style and pattern when using hair clippers. A traditional straight razor cannot beat taper blades because of the tapering effect and smooth transition. Adjusting the lever allows you to get a haircut in various lengths, creating a tapering effect as you move from the top toward the back.
Mastering these blades’ usage lets your paired taper fade with other hairstyling options. The following practical tips assist in having a gradual transition of longer hair into shorter ones seamlessly:
- To get the polished look of a taper fade, begin the cutting session with suitable guard sizes, depending on the client’s requirements regarding fade length.
- Using a hair clipper with the right guard creates a well-defined fade length. The guard provides guidelines for determining the overall shape and balance of the hair length.
- Use the tapering blade clippers to start the faded effect. Then, adjust the lever to the desired length.
- With the help of a comb and clippers, blend the long-length hair into tapering fades. Use clippers upward over the comb to balance side hair into the head crown.
In the end, create an outline by trimming stray hair around the ears, and neckline. This step gives a clean and professional touch and showcases your expertise in this modern haircut.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to use fade blades during the taper fade haircut?
These zero-gap blades are usually suitable for fade haircuts as they generate clear lines. However, your client may ask for a shaved line to pair it with a taper fade haircut for a twist.
Q: How to achieve a polished and neat look in a taper fade as a hairdresser?
You can give your customers a perfect finish by using trimmers to remove stray hair strands and shears to refine the hairline and edges for the ultimate appeal.
Final Verdict
The barbering profession is now more than using shears, scissors, and straight blades in the presence of technological devices. Machines like trimmers and clippers revolutionize the hairstyling industry and introduce new haircuts, including taper fades.
Command on different taper fade types is a specificity of any hair stylist, indicating professionalism and experience. If you want your customer to be confident about the look, then master the application of all the above-mentioned tools. With enough practice, you can create impeccable taper fades and establish your position as an expert.
